District of Massachusetts

BOSTON – A Duxbury man has been charged in a six-count indictment for allegedly distributing, and conspiring to distribute, fentanyl and cocaine in Duxbury, Kingston, Middleborough and Plymouth.

Justin Tatum, a/k/a “JD,” 40, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of fentanyl analogue, 500 grams or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine). Tatum was also indicted on two counts of distributing fentanyl (including fentanyl analogue) and on two counts of possessing narcotics with the intent to distribute. Tatum was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in July 2025. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 12, 2026 in federal court in Boston.

Tatum and a second individual, Trinity Norman, a/k/a “Trin,” 41, of Plymouth, were also indicted on one count of money laundering conspiracy. Norman was arrested on Feb. 2, 2026 and released on conditions following an initial appearance.

According to court records, in December 2024, several cooperating sources told investigators that Tatum sold fentanyl and cocaine in the greater Plymouth area. In response, a cooperating witness allegedly made controlled purchases of fentanyl and other drugs from Tatum. Between April 2025 and July 2025, Tatum was intercepted over court-authorized wiretaps allegedly discussing distribution of fentanyl and cocaine. On July 14, 2025, a search was executed at Tatum’s house and at a location in Middleborough where large amounts of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine were seized.

In 2009, Tatum was convicted in Plymouth Superior Court of trafficking cocaine and sentenced to 15 years in state prison.  

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of fentanyl analogue) provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a term of supervised release of up to three years, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jared A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; and the Kingston, Plymouth, Duxbury and Rochester Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel R. Feldman and Brian J. Sullivan of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
 

BOSTON – A Boston man has been sentenced for fraudulently depositing checks stolen from the mail, defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a COVID-related relief program, and defrauding the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.

Tyrone Brimage, 28, was sentenced on Jan. 23, 2026 by Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to one year and one day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Brimage was also ordered to pay $67,022 in restitution. In January 2025, Brimage pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and three counts of wire fraud.  

In July 2020, Brimage submitted two fraudulent unemployment claims, claiming that his employment was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of these applications, Brimage was incarcerated at the Norfolk County Jail for an unrelated criminal case. The Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance paid Brimage $43,155 as a result of this fraudulent claim before realizing that Brimage had submitted multiple fraudulent claims using different social security numbers.

In October 2020, Brimage attempted to deposit a payroll check that appeared to be issued by the City of Boston for $16,427 into his personal checking account. The clerk for the City of Boston confirmed that the check was fraudulent and that Brimage was never a city employee.

In May 2021, Brimage submitted a fraudulent PPP application for a barber shop that he never owned. In June 2021, he obtained a $20,832 loan for “payroll costs, rent interest, and utilities,” for this fake barber shop.

In July 2023, Brimage fraudulently deposited a $3,032 check stolen from the mail into a bank account that he controlled. The check issuer confirmed that the check was stolen from the mail. One day after the fraudulent deposit, Brimage withdrew cash obtained from the deposit.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas A. Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge for the Boston Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Russell W. Cunningham Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Mid-Atlantic Region made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston and Wellesley Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucy Sun and Philip C. Cheng of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
 

BOSTON – Three individuals have been arrested, and another individual has been charged, with an alleged fraud scheme that used the stolen identities of more than 100 individuals to obtain $440,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The defendants are also alleged to have fraudulently obtained over $700,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits from Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio Washington and Nevada.

The following defendants have been charged by criminal complaint with Conspiracy to Use, Transfer, Acquire and Possess SNAP benefits and will appear in federal court in Worcester at 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. this afternoon:

1. Joel Vicioso Fernandez, 42, of Fitchburg, Mass.;
2. Roman Vequiz Fernandez, 32, a Venezuelan national living in Leominster, Mass.; and
3. Coralba Albarracin Siniva, 24, a Venezuelan national living in Leominster, Mass.

Raul Fernandez Vicioso, 37, of Fitchburg, Mass., has been charged with Conspiracy to Commit SNAP Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, SNAP benefit Fraud, Aiding and Abetting and Money Laundering. He will appear in federal court in Worcester at a later date.

According to the charging documents, the defendants and their co-conspirators purchased and used the stolen personal information of over 100 real people from multiple states to fraudulently obtain SNAP benefits. The stolen identities were used to create 24 “households” in SNAP applications. All of these applications, submitted in the names of over 100 people, were listed as living in two single-family apartments in Providence, R.I.

A number of the stolen identities from Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico were used to fraudulently obtain SNAP benefits in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

It is further alleged that Raul Fernandez Vicioso and Joel Vicioso Fernandez used their own personal information to create fraudulent SNAP benefit accounts that were found commingled among the victim identities in the applications. In support of the fraudulently submitted SNAP applications, the defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly provided images of counterfeit passports and passport cards, with metadata that indicated the images were taken inside or within the immediate vicinity of El Primo Restaurant – a restaurant operated by Raul Fernandez Vicioso in Leominster, Mass.

The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly used the fraudulent SNAP benefits cards to purchase large quantities of expensive bulk food items (such as multiple-pound packages of chicken, beef and pork) at various local wholesalers and food markets to stock El Primo Restaurant at no expense. With their supplies obtained for free through fraudulent SNAP benefits, they prepared and then sold menu items at El Primo Restaurant at a complete profit, later wiring the fraud proceeds, among other places, to individuals living in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

According to the charging documents, between April 2020 and December 2021, the defendants and their co-conspirators further enriched themselves by over $700,000 by submitting fraudulent applications and supporting documents for PUA in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada. The fraudulent PUA benefits were issued in the names of Raul Fernandez Vicioso, Joel Vicioso Fernandez and in the names of suspected identity theft victims, including identities common to the related the SNAP benefit fraud. At least 29 different identities were allegedly used in PUA applications in six different states – all of which listed the address for El Primo Restaurant as the residential address. Bank records obtained during the investigation detail approximately $276,021 in fraudulent PUA benefits deposited into bank accounts held in the names of the El Primo Restaurant, Raul Fernandez Vicioso, Joel Vicioso Fernandez and other co-conspirators. Other fraudulent PUA benefits were allegedly issued to prepaid cards in the identities of the various individuals which were applied for using known addresses and telephone numbers of the subjects.

During searches of Raul Fernandez Vicioso’s residence and the El Primo Restaurant fraudulently obtained Massachusetts and Rhode Island EBT cards, fraudulent documents bearing a Providence address involved in the alleged scheme, printed ledgers and handwritten lists of more than 100 identities and SNAP-related mailings were recovered.

Fraud, waste or abuse can be reported to the Council of the Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency: https://www.oversight.gov/where-report-fraud-waste-abuse-or-retaliation

The charge of Conspiracy to Commit SNAP Fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 The charge of illegal acquisition or use of SNAP benefits provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount involved in the transaction, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General; U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Department of State - Diplomatic Security Service; Rhode Island Office of Internal Audit - Fraud Detection & Prevention Unit; Massachusetts State Police; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island; and the Fitchburg and Leominster Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case. 

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.  

BOSTON – A Webster man has been charged by criminal complaint for unlicensed dealing in firearms.

Anthony Pietrowski, 24, a.ka. AJ, was charged with one count of dealing in firearms without a license. Pietrowski made an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester on Jan. 30, 2026.

According to the charging documents, in the summer of 2025, an investigation began into Pietrowski. It is alleged that Pietrowski sold numerous firearms, including a machinegun conversion device, on four occasions in Webster, Mass. to an undercover agent.

The charge of unlicensed dealing in firearms provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by United States Postal Inspection Service, Warwick (RI) Police Department, Webster Police Department, Massachusetts State Police and the Worcester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Stendig of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.  
 

BOSTON – A former police officer with the Gloucester Police Department has been sentenced for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).  

Alexander Aiello, 34, of Gloucester, was sentenced on Jan. 23, 2026 by U.S. Senior District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV four years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In October 2025, Aiello pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.  

On several occasions in 2024 and 2025, Aiello accessed a website on the dark web that was dedicated to downloading, viewing, advertising and distributing CSAM. Searches of Aiello’s person and residence on April 28, 2025 resulted in the seizure of the defendant’s cell phone and laptop as well as a USB thumb drive, which was found in Aiello’s nightstand in his bedroom.

An examination of the devices revealed that a TOR Browser – an application that provides anonymous web access and access to dark web hidden services – was installed and actively running on Aiello’s laptop with evidence of downloaded files consistent with recent use. The USB drive was thoroughly encrypted and Aiello contained more than 200 files consistent with CSAM.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Gloucester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. 
 

BOSTON – A Webster man pleaded guilty on Jan. 23, 2026 in federal court in Worcester in connection with his role in distributing crystal methamphetamine.

Giang Tran, 36, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving 50 grams or more of methamphetamine) and distribution of methamphetamine. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for May 6, 2026. Tran was indicted on June 10, 2025.

According to court records, in December 2024, a cooperating witness told law enforcement that Tran was a supplier of pounds of crystal methamphetamine. Undercover law enforcement contacted Tran, posing as the cooperating witness. Through these communications, Tran agreed three times to deliver crystal methamphetamine to undercover law enforcement. On Jan. 2, 2025, Tran personally delivered the drugs at a commercial plaza in Everett. On Jan. 8, 2025, and again on Jan. 21, 2025, Tran sent an associate to deliver the drugs in Worcester. In total, Tran delivered or arranged the delivery of approximately 1 kilogram of methamphetamine.    

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving 50 grams or more of methamphetamine) provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and up to life and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Riverside (Calif.) DEA Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Peabody man has been arrested and charged with fraudulently obtaining over $100,000 in coronavirus relief funds.

Jonathan Carpenter, 41, was indicted on one count of theft of government money. Carpenter was arrested yesterday and released on conditions following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston.

According to the charging documents, Carpenter defrauded the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) in 2020 by applying for and obtaining an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorized SBA to provide EIDLs to eligible small business experiencing financial disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is alleged that Carpenter fraudulently obtained $125,000 in EIDL funds for Homeland Electric, an electrical contractor that had not existed for approximately five years at the time of his application. It is further alleged that Carpenter falsely claimed that Homeland Electric was established on March 1, 2011; had gross receipts of $250,000; and had eight employees as of Jan. 21, 2020. Carpenter also allegedly failed to indicate that he had a criminal record.

The charge of theft of government money provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Peabody Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy E. Moran of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.  
 

BOSTON – A married couple was charged today for their alleged involvement in a scheme to defraud individuals seeking insurance coverage through the couple’s business, BL Insurance Brokerage, LLC.

Brendan Lawler, 58, and Lisa Lawler, 45, of New Bedford, Mass., were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Both defendants will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date. The Lawlers were charged by criminal complaint in August 2025.

According to the charging documents, from March 2023 through March 2024, the Lawlers allegedly solicited and collected insurance payments from BL Insurance’s clients, which should have been paid to the clients’ insurance providers. But instead of paying the insurance companies, the Lawlers allegedly pocketed their clients’ payments and used the money for their own purposes. To conceal this theft of client funds and to keep their BL Insurance afloat to perpetuate the scheme, the Lawlers allegedly used incoming client funds to pay outstanding balances due to other clients’ insurers. The Lawlers also allegedly created and distributed certain insurance documents to clients that falsely suggested that the clients were insured. In total, through this scheme, the Lawlers allegedly defrauded at least 50 individuals or insurance providers and stole more than $750,000 from insurance providers, premium finance companies and hard money lenders.

Members of the public who believe they may be a victim of this case or have any relevant information related to this case are requested to please fill out the attached form to be contacted by a member of law enforcement: https://forms.fbi.gov/victims/BLInsuranceVictims/view. 

The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the loss to the victim. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance and Insurance Fraud Bureau. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Cleary of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
 

BOSTON – A Springfield, Mass. man was sentenced yesterday to a decade in federal prison for conspiring to possess more than 400 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute.  

Abraham Heredia, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 10 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. In October 2025, Heredia pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl.

From at least November 2022 to June 2023, Heredia conspired with others to distribute larges amounts of fentanyl throughout Western Massachusetts. On one occasion in June of 2023, Heredia conspired to distribute nearly one and a half kilograms of fentanyl, which was intercepted by law enforcement. The investigation revealed a number of other occasions during which Heredia supplied mid-level drug dealers with large amounts of fentanyl.    

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Massachusetts State Police; the Berkshire, Hampden and Franklin County Sherriff’s Offices; and the Holyoke, Springfield, Chicopee, West Springfield and Easthampton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil L. Desroches, Chief of the Springfield Branch Unit prosecuted the case.  

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

BOSTON – Former Massachusetts State Senator Dean Tran was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for attempting to cover up a fraudulent job offer and job offer letter from his sister’s company.

Tran, 50, of Fitchburg, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to one year in prison, 11 months to run concurrent with his current sentence and one month to run consecutive, to be followed by 18 months of supervised release to run concurrent with his current sentence. In December 2025, Tran pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice and one count of making a false statement. Tran was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024 along with his sister, Tuyet T. Martin.

Tran was convicted by a federal jury in September 2024 for fraudulent collection of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits and his willful omission of consulting and rental income from his tax returns in 2020, 2021 and 2022. He is currently serving an 18-month sentence in federal prison for those convictions.  

“This case is clear and simple. It is about entitlement. Entitlement to benefits Mr. Tran was not owed, entitlement to lie when confronted and entitlement to blame everyone but himself. Dean Tran did not only commit fraud; he lied, obstructed justice and tried to derail a federal investigation to protect himself. Even after being convicted, Dean Tran continued to deny responsibility for his actions,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Today’s sentence makes one thing clear: if you think you can lie to federal agents, manipulate the system and obstruct justice – you are sorely mistaken. As we have said over and over, no one is above the law. Justice is blind to power, wealth and status.”

“This investigation underscores our continued commitment to protecting the integrity of the unemployment insurance system,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “Mr. Tran’s fraudulent receipt of pandemic unemployment benefits was compounded by false statements made to federal law enforcement during the execution of a lawful search warrant. Individuals who exploit critical benefit programs and attempt to obstruct investigations will be held accountable.”

“Today’s sentencing of Dean Tran demonstrates that lying to federal law enforcement officers is a serious offense,” said Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “Obstruction of justice, at a minimum, prolongs an investigation and costs the American taxpayers thousands of additional dollars. In these situations, obstruction can lead to the destruction or loss of evidence, allowing guilty parties to evade justice and deprive their victims of a fair and just outcome.”

“Anyone who obstructs a federal investigation is attempting to subvert the course of justice, and when a former Massachusetts State Senator does it, that’s even more egregious,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “The FBI and our partners will always seek to hold those foolish enough to try to interfere with our cases accountable because it is a direct threat to our entire system of justice.”  

As part of an ongoing investigation into unemployment benefits and tax fraud schemes, federal law enforcement interviewed Tran at his residence while executing a federal search warrant. During the interview, Tran was asked about a letter he provided to unemployment agency officials when his benefits were briefly suspended, and he was attempting to have benefits reinstated. Tran made material misrepresentations to the federal law enforcement agents about the letter, including that his sister and co-defendant, Tuyet Martin, had authored the letter when she was not the sole author of the letter and Tran had revised it before the letter was finalized and submitted to unemployment officials. Tran also told federal law enforcement agents that his sister’s signature appeared on the letter when in fact Tran had signed the letter, not his sister.

In January 2026, Martin pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice. She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 13, 2026.

U.S. Attorney Foley; DOL IG D’Esposito; IRS-CI SAC Demeo; and FBI SAC Docks made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy, Lauren Maynard and Dustin Chao of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Florida man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for drug possession and distribution charges.

Wuesley Pelaez Vela, 34, of Tallahassee, Fla., was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to nine years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In May 2025, Pelaez Vela pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to launder money and one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.  The defendant was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2022 along with five alleged co-conspirators.

In 2019, an investigation began into a Colombia-based money laundering organization that was laundering drug proceeds on behalf of multiple drug trafficking organizations. Between 2020 and 2022, Pelaez Vela coordinated with an undercover agent to conduct multiple pick-ups of drug proceeds to be paid out to drug suppliers in Mexico for the purpose of laundering the cash. In total, Pelaez Vela organized 13 money pickups totaling $1,127,573 in drug proceeds.

Additionally, in October 2021, Pelaez Vela instructed an undercover agent to purchase fentanyl, provided the undercover agent with photos of the pills and a code phrase to order the pills containing fentanyl. Two packages sent as part of this transaction, which contained over 600 grams of fentanyl, were subsequently seized.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Sullivan of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.  

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

BOSTON – A Florida man pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute.

Deane Gilmore, 35, of Brandon, Fla., pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks before U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy, who scheduled sentencing for May 12, 2026. Gilmore was charged in December 2025.

From March 2020 through approximately April 2022, Gilmore owned and managed two durable medical equipment companies, Jupiter Medical Associates Inc. and Granite Medical Associates Inc. Gilmore, through these companies, illegally paid telemarketers or call centers who obtained medical information from Medicare beneficiaries to prepare orders for durable medical equipment—such as back, knee, wrist, or ankle braces. The documentation made it appear that medical practitioners were legitimately prescribing the DME to these beneficiaries, when, in fact, these orders were frequently medically unnecessary and based on false documentation. By paying these telemarketers on a per-order basis, Gilmore violated the Anti-Kickback Statute.  

Over the course of his scheme, Gilmore submitted or caused to be submitted a total of approximately $6.5 million in kickback-tainted claims to Medicare. Medicare ultimately paid out approximately $2.3 million for these kickback-tainted claims.

The charge of conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General; Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Looney of the National Security Unit is prosecuting the case. 

BOSTON – A Queens, N.Y. man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for a scheme to steal over $3 million in COVID relief tax credits using the stolen identity of a corporate executive in New Jersey.

Linval Jackson, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper to four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In October 2025, Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud; one count of bank fraud; and one count of aggravated identity theft. Jackson was arrested and charged in July 2024.

Jackson and his co-conspirator Isaiah Aaron Tenryk used a fraudulent driver’s license, as well as the name and Social Security number of a corporate executive in New Jersey, to open a bank account in Boston. Tenryk then deposited an approximately $3 million Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) check payable to the executive’s company into the fraudulent account. ERTC is a refundable tax credit for certain eligible businesses that had employees and were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the check was deposited, Jackson attempted to link the fraudulent account to other bank accounts he controlled to transfer the stolen money.

Tenryk pleaded guilty to bank fraud and identity theft in September 2024 and was sentenced to three years in prison in December 2024.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna Nuzum of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Norfolk man has been arrested and charged with allegedly sexually exploiting a two-year-old minor victim from Massachusetts.

Ethan Irving, 36, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of sexual exploitation of children. Irving was arrested this morning in Norfolk and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at 3:15 p.m. today.

In June 2025, Irving was identified as an online user who uploaded three files of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to Kik Messenger. A July 2025 forensic analysis of two cell phones sized from Irving’s residence located multiple media files depicting CSAM. As a result of the findings, Irving was arrested and charged in Wrentham District Court in July 2025. He subsequently pleaded guilty to Dissemination of Obscene Matter and Possession of Child Pornography on Dec. 3, 2025, for which he was sentenced to two years of probation with conditions that prohibit his contact with children.

According to the charging documents, on Dec. 15, 2025, while reviewing evidence related to Irving’s state prosecution, additional CSAM was allegedly located on Irving’s devices that had not previously been seen by investigators. Specifically, the images allegedly appeared to be a continuous series, sequential in time, depicting Irving sexually abusing a two-year-old female toddler who was known to him. It is alleged that the images appeared to have been taken inside a bedroom at Irving’s residence, with the bedding depicted in the images matching sheets observed and photographed by law enforcement during a search of the home in July 2025.

The charge of sexual exploitation of minors (and attempt and conspiracy) provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Michael Jenkins, Chief of East Bridgewater Police Department; and James Floyd, Chief of the Plainville Police Department made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Norfolk Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.  

BOSTON – A former Brookline, Mass. physician was convicted following a 10-day jury trial in federal court in Boston of health care fraud, money laundering, tax evasion and conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  

Dr. Pankaj Merchia, 52, of Brookline, Mass. and Boca Raton, Fla., was convicted on Jan. 27, 2026 of one count of health care fraud, three counts of money laundering, two counts of tax evasion and one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for April 28, 2026. Merchia was indicted for money laundering and health care fraud in December 2022 and later charged for tax offenses in a superseding indictment along with alleged co-conspirator Dr. Shona Pendse in February 2023. 

Merchia perpetrated two distinct health care fraud schemes. First, Merchia billed former patients’ insurance companies for monthly rentals of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) and Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BiPap) machines from 2017 to 2019, despite not having treated the patients since at least 2011. In some cases, the patients had returned the devices to him. Merchia used the proceeds of this fraud to purchase an expensive home in Brookline.

Additionally, Merchia defrauded another insurance company out of over $390,000 by submitting claims for a CPAP machine provided to his brother. After he was told that the insurance carrier would not pay for treatment rendered by a family member, Merchia created a new medical business and submitted new claims so that the company would pay. Merchia used the proceeds of this fraud to fund a wire transfer of $250,000 and to purchase at least $140,000 in securities.  

Finally, from 2009 to 2019 Merchia did not report, or pay taxes on, over $6.5 million in income he earned from his medical businesses by falsely claiming that those businesses were owned by his co-conspirator. To defraud the IRS, Merchia fabricated a sham transaction by which he claimed to have sold his medical businesses to his co-conspirator in 2008. To ensure that his co-conspirator did not owe taxes, they claimed large amortization deductions, spread across many years, for the fabricated sale.

The charges of money laundering and health care fraud provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the IRS provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Anthony M. DiPaolo, Executive Director of the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil J. Gallagher, Jr. of the Health Care Fraud Unit and Trial Attorney Ezra Spiro of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Tax Section are prosecuting the case.  

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – The founder and former Chief Executive Officer of a Boston-based nonprofit was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for using thousands of dollars in donations to Violence in Boston (VIB) to pay for personal expenses; defrauding the City of Boston out of COVID-19 relief funds and rental assistance money; defrauding the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office out of Community Reinvestment Grant funds; filing false tax returns; and failing to file tax returns for two years.  

Monica Cannon-Grant, 44, of Taunton, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to four years’ probation, with six months of home detention and 100 hours of community service. She was also ordered to pay restitution of $106,003 as well as forfeiture in an amount to be decided at a later date. The government recommended a sentence of 18 months in prison.

In September 2025, Cannon-Grant pleaded guilty to 18 counts: three counts of wire fraud conspiracy; 10 counts of wire fraud; one count of mail fraud; two counts of filing false tax returns; and two counts of failing to file tax returns. In March 2023, Cannon-Grant was charged along with her co-conspirator and late husband Clark Grant in a 27-count superseding indictment. Clark Grant’s charges were dismissed in May 2023 due to his death. Cannon-Grant and Clark Grant had previously been charged in an 18-count indictment in March 2022.

In 2020, Cannon-Grant was lauded as a Bostonian of the Year and social justice advocate, recognized for being a “voice for the community” and social justice advocate.

“Monica Cannon-Grant’s crimes were not a momentary lapse in judgment — they were a calculated pattern of deception that spanned years. She repeatedly lied to donors, government agencies, and the public, even after being caught — all while presenting herself as a champion for others. Fraud disguised as activism or charity is still fraud. You don’t get partial credit for stealing,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “This case makes clear that exploiting public trust for personal enrichment is a serious federal crime, no matter how it is packaged.”

“Ms. Cannon-Grant’s actions were crimes of greed and opportunity but will not go unpunished thanks to the law enforcement community, who have dedicated their mission to uncovering and putting an end to such devious schemes. This case illustrates that anyone who defrauds state programs and exploits their position in the community, will be held accountable for their actions. Postal inspectors are ever vigilant in bringing to justice individuals who use the U.S. Mail to defraud and otherwise take advantage of the financial circumstances of innocent consumers,” said Nicolas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division.

“Monica Cannon-Grant illegally enriched herself through a scheme that fraudulently diverted critical taxpayer resources from individuals who depended on unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. This case reinforces our unwavering commitment to protecting the integrity of the unemployment insurance program,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “We will continue to work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to safeguard vital U.S. Department of Labor programs and to ensure accountability for those who seek to exploit them.”

“This case against Monica Cannon-Grant demonstrates IRS-CI’s commitment to protecting all American citizens, especially those who are in need of assistance, like those that Cannon-Grant claimed to care about,” said Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “Cannon-Grant not only stole from her own non-profit organization but did so at the expense of multiple public financial programs designed to help those truly in need. While Cannon-Grant personally profited from her own scheme, those in the communities seeking a lifeline from her organization had to go without.”

Cannon-Grant was the founder and CEO of VIB, an anti-violence nonprofit formally established in 2017, the stated purpose of which was to reduce violence, raise social awareness and aid community causes in Greater Boston, among other purposes.

From 2017 through at least 2020, Cannon-Grant represented herself as an uncompensated VIB director to donors and other charitable institutions when, in reality, she and her late husband agreed to utilize their control over VIB’s accounts and funds to pay for personal expenditures through cash withdrawals, cashed checks, wire transfers to personal bank accounts and debit purchases. Cannon-Grant also applied for, and certified the applications for, grants offered by public and private entities that included materially false representations. For example, Cannon-Grant conspired to use VIB to defraud the Boston Resiliency Fund (BRF), a charitable fund established by the City of Boston to provide aid to Boston residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. After receiving approximately $53,977 in pandemic relief funds, Cannon-Grant withdrew approximately $30,000 in cash from the VIB bank account, made deposits of $5,200 and $1,000 into her personal checking account, and made payments on her personal auto loan and car insurance policy. Cannon-Grant did not disclose any of these personal expenses to BRF and, instead, falsely reported to BRF that all of its grant funds had been appropriately expended.

Cannon-Grant also conspired to defraud Boston’s Office of Housing Stability by concealing thousands of dollars of household income in order to obtain $12,600 in rental assistance from the City of Boston. Instead of truthfully reporting accurate information about the family’s earnings and benefits, Cannon-Grant and her late husband misrepresented their actual household income to obtain rent relief funds that were intended to aid Boston residents who were facing housing insecurity.    

Cannon-Grant and her late husband also conspired to defraud the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance by submitting fraudulent applications for pandemic unemployment assistance and certifying on a weekly basis that they were not working and did not receive over $89 in income during the prior week. In addition, Cannon-Grant filed false tax returns for 2017 and 2018 and failed to file tax returns for 2019 and 2020, omitting tens of thousands of dollars in income that Cannon-Grant received in salary from VIB and through work as a consultant.

U.S. Attorney Foley; USPIS Acting INC Bucciarelli; DOL Inspector General D’Esposito; IRS-CI SAC Demeo; Matthew M. Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General; and Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao, Chief of the Public Corruption Unit, prosecuted the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

BOSTON – A former pediatric cardiac anesthesiology fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital was sentenced yesterday to nearly two decades in prison for producing, possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Defendant was previously a fellow in pediatric anesthesiology at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.

Christopher Sheerer, 37, of Boston, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper to 22 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Sheerer was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $65,722. An additional amount of restitution will be determined at a hearing scheduled for March 26, 2026. In September 2025, Sheerer pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography; one count of possession of child pornography; and one count of sexual exploitation of children. Sheerer was arrested and charged in July 2024 and has remained in federal custody since.

“Every time child sexual abuse material is created, shared, or viewed, children are revictimized again and again,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Each case serves as a difficult reminder that child predators are embedded in our communities. This defendant did not just possess this heinous material – he produced it himself and shared it with others. Moreover, his chosen employment increased his direct contact with children. Today’s sentence reflects the devastating harm these crimes inflict on real children and sends a clear message that those who fuel this abuse will face severe consequences. Our office will continue to work tirelessly to protect children, pursue justice for victims and hold offenders fully accountable.”

“Sheerer is among the worst kind of criminal we investigate. He held a position of trust in the community, but behind closed doors he was a predator of the highest order, not only participating in online groups dedicated to the sharing of photos depicting the sexual abuse of children but also acting as a hands-on offender. Now, he’s facing over two decades behind bars,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol of Homeland Security Investigations New England. “When our special agents go to work every day, they’re working toward making the world a safer place for children. We hope that today’s sentence does just that and brings a measure of security to the family of the child he victimized as they move forward and begin to heal.”

Sheerer was a fellow in pediatric cardiac anesthesiology at Boston Children’s Hospital at the time of his arrest and was previously a fellow in pediatric anesthesiology at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.

In May 2024, an investigation began into a user of an online, encrypted chat application who belonged to a group dedicated to the sharing of CSAM. The target user was subsequently identified as Sheerer, with an IP address tracing him to Johns Hopkins University. Sheerer uploaded imagery of a child known to him to gain admission to that group.

Following a search of Sheerer’s residence in Boston, multiple chats were discovered on Sheerer’s phone, several of which contained pictures and videos appearing to be CSAM involving children as young as infants. Forensic analysis of devices seized pursuant to the warrant showed that Sheerer was involved in dozens of chats with users of the encrypted application, several of which included the exchange of CSAM, including imagery of a child known to him.

U.S. Attorney Foley and HSI SAC Krol made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Districts of Maryland and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Homeland Security Investigations in Baltimore and Harrisburg; and the Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Soto and Anne Paruti of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. 
 

BOSTON – A Dominican national residing in Lawrence, Mass. has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Jose Alberto Tejeda Turbi, 46, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Tejeda Turbi will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

In July 2015, Tejeda Turbi was convicted in federal court in Boston of heroin distribution and conspiracy, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison and four years of supervised release. Tejeda Turbi was deported from the United States in March 2020 upon his completion of the sentence imposed.

According to the charging documents, sometime after his March 2020 removal, Tejeda Turbi illegally reentered the United States without permission.

In June 2024, Tejeda Turbi was sentenced in Lawrence District Court to two years in prison for assault and battery resulting in serious bodily injury and three years of probation for remaining charges.

The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad A. Rocheville of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

A federal jury in Boston, Massachusetts, convicted a medical doctor Tuesday for health care fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the IRS, and tax evasion.

“Over ten years, the defendant hid millions in income from the IRS and defrauded insurers through his medical practice,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendant—a highly educated physician — put greed over his integrity, lining his own pockets through lies and deceit at the expense insurers and Americans who pay healthcare premiums, then doubling down on his lies and deceit and attempting to hide his ill-gotten gains from the IRS. The Criminal Division will prosecute doctors and other professionals like this defendant who abuse the system, and through their crimes, inflate insurance costs for all Americans and fail to pay their taxes due and owing.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Dr. Pankaj Merchia, of Boca Raton, Florida and Brookline, Massachusetts, was a Harvard-educated sleep doctor who controlled several sleep medicine companies. From 2017 to 2019, the defendant fraudulently billed  insurance companies millions of dollars for sleep apnea machines that had not been used by his former patients for years. Merchia billed up to hundreds of thousands of dollars per patient for the medical devices, even when in some cases those patients had returned the devices to him. Merchia used the proceeds of the fraud to purchase a $2.1 million home in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Merchia also defrauded a health insurer out of over $390,000 by submitting fraudulent claims for treating his brother. After being told that he could not bill insurance for treating a family member, Merchia created a new medical business in the name of a nominee and submitted new claims so that the insurance company would continue paying the illicit reimbursement. 

In addition, from 2009 to 2019, Merchia did not report, or pay tax on, over $6.5 million [PC1] in income he earned from his medical businesses by falsely claiming that those businesses were owned by a co-conspirator. To defraud the IRS, Merchia fabricated a sham transaction, falsely claiming that he sold his medical businesses back in 2008. To ensure that his co-conspirator did not owe taxes, they claimed deductions, spread across many years, for the fabricated sale payment. 

Merchia was convicted of one count of health care fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS, and two counts of tax evasion. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 28, 2026. Each count of healthcare fraud and money laundering carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. Tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the IRS each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

IRS Criminal Investigation and the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Ezra Spiro of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Gallagher of the District of Massachusetts are prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Tucson, Ariz., man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with his role in distributing, and laundering the proceeds of, truckloads of fentanyl and cocaine.

Reginel Cazares, a/k/a “Junior,” 37, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving 400 grams or more of fentanyl and five kilograms or more of cocaine) and money laundering conspiracy. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for May 6, 2026. Cazares was indicted on June 13, 2024.

According to court filings, in August 2023, a cooperating witness told law enforcement about an individual he knew as “Junior” – later identified as Cazares – based in Tucson, Ariz., who organized multi-kilogram deliveries of fentanyl and cocaine from California to Massachusetts. The kilograms were driven by tractor trailer from the area of Ontario, Calif., to Massachusetts. In November 2023, and again in December 2023, Cazares directed the cooperating witness to pick up drug proceeds in Massachusetts from two co-defendants, with approximately $600,000 in drug proceeds picked up in Tewksbury, Mass., at Cazares’ direction. On Feb. 16, 2024, Cazares directed the cooperating witness to pick up four kilograms of fentanyl and nine kilograms of cocaine in Ontario, Calif., which were to be driven to Massachusetts and the Carolinas. The narcotics were intercepted by law enforcement.

In 2012, Cazares was convicted of cocaine conspiracy in the District of New Jersey and sentenced to 57 months in prison.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving 400 grams or more of fentanyl and five kilograms or more of cocaine) provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Riverside (Calif.), Bakersfield (Calif.) and Tucson (Ariz.) DEA Offices; San Bernadino County (Calif.) Sheriff’s Department; Inland Regional Narcotics Enforcement Team; the Methuen Police Department; and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A Springfield, Mass. man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Springfield for drug trafficking.

Marcus Hicks, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 18 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In September 2025 was convicted of one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, one count of possession of cocaine base, also known as crack cocaine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Hicks was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2023.

On Nov. 21, 2022, Hicks possessed 97 grams of cocaine, 15 grams of crack cocaine and two and one-half pounds of marijuana intended for distribution.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in New England; Holyoke Police Chief Brian Keenan; and Superintendent Lawrence Akers of the Springfield Police Department made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd E. Newhouse of the Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case. 

BOSTON – A Nashua, N.H. man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to trafficking nine firearms, including two semiautomatic rifles, into Massachusetts in over a one-month period. 

Dennis T. Michaud, Jr., 23, pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in firearms. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for April 28, 2026. Michaud was arrested and charged in March 2025. 

Beginning in or around February 2025, Michaud was identified as an illegal firearms dealer. From Feb. 7 through Feb. 11, 2025, undercover law enforcement contacted Michaud through Snapchat to arrange for the purchase of a semiautomatic rifle. During those communications, Michaud stated that he was located in New Hampshire and that he could bring the firearm to Massachusetts. On Feb. 11, 2025, in Pepperell, Mass., Michaud met with a confidential source operating at the direction of law enforcement to conduct the transaction. There, Michaud provided the confidential source with a Good Time Outdoors CXV Core 15 .223/5.56 caliber semiautomatic rifle and a 30-round .223/5.56 caliber magazine in exchange for $900.
 

On Feb. 18, 2025, Michaud agreed to sell three additional firearms. Later that day, Michaud met the source at an agreed upon location in Pepperell, Mass. where he provided the following three firearms as well as accompanying ammunition and accessories in exchange for $2,100: a Taurus Raging Hunter .454 Casull Revolver and approximately five rounds of .454 Casull ammunition; a Rossi Interarms M68 .38 Special Revolver and approximately five rounds of .38 Special ammunition; and a Walther PPS 9mm Pistol with approximately six Walther PPS 9mm magazines and various firearm parts and/or accessories.

In addition, on Feb. 27, 2025, Michaud agreed to sell two more firearms: a Radical Firearms RF-15 .223/5.56 caliber semiautomatic short-barreled rifle along with a 30-round .223/5.56 caliber magazine and a Sig Sauer P227 Equinox .45 caliber pistol along with a 10-round Sig Sauer P227 .45 caliber magazine. During the transaction Michaud provided the confidential source the two agreed-upon firearms and ammunition. Michaud also stated that possessing the semiautomatic short-barreled rifle would constitute “three felonies” due to the stock and 30-round magazine affixed to the firearm.

On March 20, 2025 Michaud sold three more firearms, two magazines and ammunition to the confidential source in exchange for $2,250: a Century Arms 7.62x39mm YSKA AK Rifle; a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm Pistol; and a Taurus PT-22 .22 caliber Pistol. The defendant was immediately taken into custody following the transaction.

Michaud does not possess a federal firearms license.

The charge of trafficking in firearms without a license provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; and the Nashua (N.H.), Worcester and Pepperell Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Gonzalez Sanchez of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A member of the violent Boston-based gang, H-Block, was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for drug conspiracy charges.

Trea Lankford, a/k/a “Montana,” a/k/a “Heffna Boss Don,” a/k/a “Tre Cain,” 34 of Boston, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to eight years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. In October, 2025, Lankford pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Lankford was one of 10 H-Block gang members and associates charged in August 2024 following a multi-year investigation of H Block beginning in 2021 in response to an uptick in gang-related drug trafficking, shootings and violence. According to court documents, over 500 grams of cocaine, cocaine base (crack cocaine) and fentanyl, as well as over 20,000 doses of drug-laced paper were seized during the investigation.

According to the charging documents, the H Block Street Gang is one of the most feared and influential city-wide gangs in Boston. Originally formed in the 1980s as the Humboldt Raiders in the Roxbury section of Boston, the gang re-emerged in the 2000s as H Block. Current members of H Block have a history of violent confrontation with law enforcement, including an incident in 2015 when a member shot a Boston Police officer at point blank range without warning or provocation.

From 2022 through 2023, Lankford, a long-time H Block gang member, participated in a conspiracy to distribute various controlled substances, including fentanyl, powdered cocaine and cocaine base (crack). On numerus occasions, Lankford conducted drug deals on various dates with an undercover officer, often accompanied by co-conspirators.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Randy Maloney, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. The investigation was supported by the Massachusetts State Police; Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; and the Braintree, Quincy, Randolph and Watertown Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case along with Jeremy Franker of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – An Everett man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for possessing, distributing and receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The defendant committed these offenses within months of being released from federal prison.

Robert Sokolowski, 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor to 15 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In September 2025, Sokolowski pleaded guilty to one count each of possession of child pornography; distribution of child pornography; and receipt of child pornography.  

In September 2024, Sokolowski lost his cell phone on an MBTA Green Line trolley.  After the phone was turned in, an employee attempting to identify the owner of the lost phone discovered images of CSAM on the phone. The phone was found to contain hundreds of images and videos depicting CSAM, depicting children as young as toddlers.

This case is Sokolowski’s third federal conviction for CSAM offenses. In 2015, Sokolowski was convicted in U.S. District Court for possession of CSAM and was sentenced to 46 months in prison. In 2015, Sokolowski was convicted a second time in U.S. District Court for possession of CSAM and sentenced to 150 months in prison. He committed the offenses in this case seven months after being released from prison for the 2015 offense.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Special assistance was provided by the MBTA Transit Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Maynard and Eric L. Hawkins of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
 

BOSTON – A Boston man has pleaded guilty to threatening a federal law enforcement officer.

Kenneth Pacheco, 22, pleaded guilty on Jan. 23, 2026 to one count of threatening a federal law enforcement officer before U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick who scheduled sentencing for April 28, 2026. Pacheco was arrested and charged in October 2025. He remains in custody.  

In May 2025, law enforcement received a tip from an anonymous complainant alleging that an individual using the online moniker “Amir Haqqani” was using a Facebook account to make threats against the complainant and other individuals. In response, Pacheco was interviewed by law enforcement. In July 2025, a relative of Pacheco expressed concerned that Pacheco may pose harm to himself and in response, law enforcement spoke with Pacheco again. On Oct. 7, 2025, Pacheco responded to these interventions by lashing out with threats aimed at friends, acquaintances and a federal agent.  Specifically, Pacheco threatened that people would “get hurt,” that he would “put people in the [] hospital” and that he would “blow” the agents “brains out.”  

The charge of threatening a federal law enforcement officer provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Looney of the National Security Unit is prosecuting the case. 

BOSTON – A manager of numerous sober homes in Massachusetts was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his involvement in three different fraud schemes involving sober homes in the Greater Boston area, the Mass Save Program and a mortgage lender.

Nicholas Espinosa, 39, formerly of Randolph, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to 30 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In October 2024, Espinosa pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud conspiracy; one count of conspiracy to make false statements to a mortgage lending business (mortgage fraud conspiracy); 15 counts of wire fraud; six counts of unlawful monetary transactions (money laundering); and one count of making false statements to a mortgage lending business. Espinosa was arrested and charged in March 2023 along with co-conspirator Daniel Cleggett.

Cleggett was the founder of the sober home business A Vision From God LLC (AVFG). Established in November 2016, AVFG owned and operated sober homes in Boston, Wakefield, Quincy and Weymouth under trade names including Brady’s Place, Lakeshore Retreat and Lambert House. Espinosa managed the day-to-day affairs of Cleggett’s sober home business.

Cleggett, Espinosa and a sober home client entered into a conspiracy to defraud a New York-based family trust that was paying for the client’s room and board at Brady’s Place, located in Quincy. Specifically, Cleggett and Espinosa overcharged the family trust for room and board by up to $12,500 per month by submitting false and fraudulent invoices to the family trust. Cleggett and Espinosa would then issue “refund” checks to the client in furtherance of the fraud scheme.

From approximately October 2019 to December 2021, Cleggett personally, and through straw purchasers including Espinosa, purchased three residential properties in Weymouth and Boston to use as sober homes. Cleggett, Espinosa and others submitted false information and fraudulent documentation including falsely representing that the three properties were intended to be purchased as primary residences when, in reality, each was intended to be a sober home.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Kingston, Randolph and Quincy Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys and John T. Mulcahy and Dustin Chao of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A New Hampshire woman has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to attempting to obstruct and interfere in a grand jury investigation involving her brother, former State Senator Dean Tran.

Tuyet T. Martin, 55, of Pelham, N.H., pleaded guilty on Jan. 21, 2026 to one count of obstruction of justice. U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for May 13, 2026. In June 2024, Martin was charged along with her brother, Dean Tran.

In November 2023, Tran was arrested and charged in 28-count federal indictment for his fraudulent collection of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits and his willful omission of consulting and rental income from his tax returns in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

As part of the investigation into Tran’s unemployment benefits and tax fraud schemes, an investigation began into a job offer and job offer letter from Martin to Tran at the New Hampshire-based business where Martin was the owner and the CEO. During a July 2023 grand jury session, Martin provided false testimony regarding the employment offer letter. 

The charge of obstruction of justice provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Tran pleaded guilty in December 2025 and it scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 30, 2026.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Labor Racketeering and Fraud, Northeast Region; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy and Lauren Maynard of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A former Quincy man, currently residing in Las Vegas, Nev., was sentenced on Jan. 21, 2026 in federal court in Boston for distribution of methamphetamine.

Samuel Jean-Baptiste, a/k/a “Jett Black,” 39, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In September 2025, Jean-Baptiste pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Jean-Baptiste was arrested in May 2024 and was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2024.

In early July 2023, Jean-Baptiste was identified as a significant distributor of controlled substances in the Boston area. A confidential source made three controlled purchases totaling over 680 grams of fentanyl from Jean-Baptiste. In the subsequent months, Jean-Baptiste communicated with a second confidential source to set up a sale of approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine. On May 29, 2024, Jean-Baptiste arrived at an agreed-upon location for the sale of methamphetamine and was subsequently arrested. At the time of his arrest Jean-Baptiste was carrying a backpack that contained approximately 10 pounds of suspected methamphetamine. 

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Sullivan of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. 

BOSTON – A Brazilian national, residing in Milford, was arrested and charged in federal court in Worcester for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Joao Carlos Tavares Da Silva, 21, was charged with possession of child pornography. The defendant was detained after making an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester.  

According to the charging documents, Tavares Da Silva is a Brazilian citizen with an outstanding warrant in Brazil for statutory rape; production, reproduction, direction, recording or filming of scenes of explicit sexual acts or pornography involving children or adolescents; and selling or offering for sale any photograph, video, or other recording that contains scenes of explicit sexual acts or pornography involving a child or adolescent. During a search of Tavares Da Silva’s home in Milford, multiple electronic devices were seized.  According to the criminal complaint affidavit, images containing CSAM were located on one of those devices. The images appeared to be of an alleged victim in Brazil.

The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, supervised release for life and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Milford Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen M. Noto of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law. 
 

BOSTON – A member of the Annunciation Road/Mission Hill gang was sentenced yesterday in connection with crack cocaine and fentanyl possession with intent to distribute.

Shakeem Johnson, a/k/a “Sha-Money,” 35, was sentenced U.S. District Court Senior Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to five years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release. On Oct. 14, 2025, Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base (crack cocaine) and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

In early 2025, while on parole upon his release from state prison for a 2016 conviction for manslaughter in a gang-related shooting – for which he was sentenced to 12 to 14 years in state prison – Johnson was captured on recorded jail calls discussing his drug trafficking activity with another Annunciation Road/Mission Hill gang member who was incarcerated. Following these communications, the defendant was observed repeatedly traveling to the “Mass and Cass” area of Boston, a location known for drug use and drug distribution, and engaging in hand-to-hand drug transactions.

Search warrants executed in April 2025 resulted in the seizure of more than 45 grams of crack cocaine from Johnson and more than 24 grams of fentanyl from his Lynn residence. Other items indicative of street-level drug distribution were also seized.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Lynn Police Chief Christopher P. Reddy; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip C. Cheng and John Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

BOSTON – The former office manager for a Franklin environmental services business was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for embezzling more than $400,000 from her employer.  

Marie Hobson, 55, of Attleboro, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper to 18 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Hobson was also ordered to pay restitution of $511,119 and to forfeit $429,980. In October 2025, Hobson was charged with and pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return.

Between December 2019 and March 2025, Hobson inflated her own payroll by adding approximately $268,046 in phony expense reimbursements, such as uniform costs even though Hobson did not wear a uniform in her position. To conceal the thefts, Hobson manipulated her employer’s accounting software to make it appear she was only receiving her weekly salary. Hobson also misused her company-issued credit card to pay for country club memberships, vacations, cruises, timeshares and personal residence costs totaling more than $105,000.

To further conceal her scheme, Hobson failed to report the funds that she embezzled on her federal income tax filings for tax years 2021 through 2024, resulting in a tax loss to the government of approximately $81,000.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Thomas E. Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. The Franklin Police Department provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Kosto, Chief of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit, prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – Trang Pharmacy (Trang), a Worcester-based pharmacy, has agreed to pay $750,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by billing Medicare for dispensing medications for which it lacked inventory.  

As detailed in the settlement agreement, Trang admitted that between Jan. 1, 2016, and Jan. 13, 2023, it submitted claims to Medicare’s Part D program seeking reimbursement for dispensing certain medications for which they could not prove to have purchased. As such, the government alleges that Trang submitted false claims to Medicare for reimbursement for medications that it did not dispense to Medicare beneficiaries.  

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts and the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Sharobem of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the matter with assistance from the Civil Fraud Branch of the U.S. Department of Justice.  

BOSTON – A Leominster man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Worcester to embezzling from a labor union.   
   
Joe Scott, Jr., 54, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement from a labor union. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for May 1, 2026. In August 2024, Scott was indicted by a federal grand jury.

Scott was the Treasurer of the International Union of Electrical Workers, Communication Workers of America, Local 81154 (IUE-CWA Local 81154), a labor union chapter based in Gardner, Mass., that represents union members from various employers in Massachusetts. Scott used his position as Treasurer to embezzle approximately $49,000 from IUE-CWA Local 81154, by making debit card expenditures, withdrawing funds and issuing checks from union bank accounts, all for Scott’s personal benefit. Scott used the money to pay for, among other things, storage costs, home internet, electrical and gas services and cell phone services, as well as personal expenses while on vacation.

Scott faces a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jonathan Russo, District Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.   

BOSTON – A Springfield, Mass. man was sentenced yesterday for possessing more than 40 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.  

Lamiek White, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 147 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. In September 2025, White pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

From November 2022 through June 2023, White conspired with others to distribute fentanyl. During a search of White’s Springfield residence in June 2023, approximately 200 grams of fentanyl was found along with a firearm with an obliterated serial number.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Massachusetts State Police; the Berkshire, Hampden and Franklin County Sherriff’s Offices; and the Holyoke, Springfield, Chicopee, West Springfield and Easthampton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil L. Desroches, Chief of the Springfield Branch Unit prosecuted the case.  

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

BOSTON – Akris Inc. has agreed to pay over $1.8 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was not eligible.

As detailed in the settlement agreement, Akris admitted that, in March 2021, it applied for a second draw PPP loan and certified that it was eligible to receive the loan under the PPP rules. When it applied, Akris, together with its foreign affiliate, had over 300 employees. On Jan. 8, 2021, the Small Business Association (SBA) announced the availability of a second round of PPP loans, known as the “second draw” PPP loans. Businesses with more than 300 employees were not eligible for second draw loans.  

The settlement credits Akris for cooperation under the Department of Justice’s Guidelines for Taking Voluntary Disclosure, Cooperation and Remediation into Account in False Claims Act Matters.  

The claims resolved in today’s settlement include claims that were brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act.  Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. As part of today’s resolution, the whistleblower will receive approximately $183,000.

Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and the Economic Security Act (CARES Act) on March 29, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain approved expenses through the PPP. On May 5, 2020, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued guidance that explained that, for purposes of meeting size eligibility requirements (i.e. whether the applicant is a “small business concern” or otherwise falls below the cap on employee headcount) an applicant must count all its employees and the employees of its U.S. and foreign affiliates, absent a waiver of, or an exception to, the affiliation rules. SBA’s guidance also made clear that it would only enforce this rule prospectively, i.e., for applications made on or after May 5, 2020. On Jan. 8, 2021, SBA announced the availability of a second round of PPP loans, known as the “second draw” PPP loans. Businesses with more than 300 employees were not eligible for second draw loans.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and the U.S. Small Business Administration made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Sharobem of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the matter.  

BOSTON – A Massachusetts man and woman have been charged and arrested in connection with a scheme to defraud banks in Massachusetts. 

William Shaw, 67, of Boston, was indicted on four counts of bank fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft.  

Rosemary Parks, 59, of Hopkinton, was indicted on three counts of bank fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft.  

According to the charging documents, from at least December 2022 through at least March 2025, Shaw allegedly impersonated at least 11 bank customers, and between at least August 2024 through at least October 2024, Parks allegedly impersonated at least eight bank customers. Shaw and Parks allegedly used fake driver’s licenses with the customers’ information but their own photos and presented bank tellers with withdrawal slips that listed the customers’ names and account numbers. While posing as real bank customers, Shaw allegedly withdrew more than $674,000, and Parks allegedly withdrew more than $536,000, from the customers’ accounts in the form of cashier’s checks and cash withdrawals.

In July 2025, six men were charged as part of related investigation into a multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud banks in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two year prison sentence consecutive to any sentence received on the other charges. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Haven Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Connecticut State Police, the Glocester (RI) Police Department, the Sutton Police Department, the Concord (MA) Police Department, the Dracut Police Department, the Westwood Police Department and the Abington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Kearney of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case. 

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law. 
 

BOSTON – The former owner of two restaurants was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for filing false tax returns. 

Remigijus Mikelenas, 55, of Gilford, N.H., formerly of Canton, Mass. was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. Mikelenas was also ordered to pay more than $800,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and more than $100,000 in restitution to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In August 2024, Mikelenas was arrested and charged with three counts of filing false tax returns.

Mikelenas was the owner of a café and a juice bar in Canton. Between approximately 2012 through 2020, Mikelenas deliberately failed to report more than $3.5 million in gross receipts at his businesses to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As a result, Mikelenas avoided paying more than $820,000 in federal income taxes.

During the investigation, Mikelenas told an undercover agent posing as a prospective buyer for the businesses, that he regularly underreported his gross receipts to the IRS and showed the agent a copy of the “real” books that reflected the businesses’ true earnings. During the meeting, Mikelenas asked the agent whether he worked for the IRS, and added, “If I get caught, I’ll be screwed.”
           
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Saltzman of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Boston man was convicted on Jan. 16, 2026 following a 4-day trial in federal court in Boston for sex trafficking and transporting a minor to Rhode Island to engage in prostitution.

Tramonte Jamier Queen, 26, was convicted of one count of sex trafficking of a child and one count of transportation of minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. In November 2023, Queen was indicted by a federal grand jury.

“Tramonte Queen preyed on a young, impressionable girl, selling her body for his own benefit. His actions were abhorrent, and we will continue to hold traffickers accountable for exploiting children,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to recover missing and exploited children and ensure that traffickers are brought to justice and punished.”

“Tramonte Jamier Queen callously groomed and manipulated a 16-year-old girl with total disregard for her well-being and sex trafficked her out of his mother’s basement and across state lines,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “This case highlights our Child Exploitation – Human Trafficking Task Force’s unflinching commitment to pursuing justice for all victims of sex trafficking while sending a message to all offenders –we will find you, bring you to justice, and ensure you are ultimately punished.”

Beginning in January 2022, Queen recruited a 16-year-old girl to engage in prostitution. He directed the victim to take photos of herself, including photos depicting the victim posing provocatively. Queen used these photos to attract sex buyers by posting them in online commercial sex advertisements. Shortly thereafter, Queen directed the victim to earn money for him by having sex with sex buyers. Queen communicated with the sex buyers and arranged for the victim to perform sex acts in the basement of his mother’s Dorchester home. Later, Queen continued trafficking the victim from hotels in Rhode Island. On Feb. 5, 2022, Queen was arrested as he was driving with the 16-year-old victim.

The sex trafficking of a child and transportation charges each carry a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please contact [email protected].

U.S. Attorney Foley; FBI SAC Docks; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian A. Fogerty of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit and Jessica L. Soto of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A North Reading man was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for possession of child sexual abuse material.

Ralph Hannan III, 68, a Level 2 sex offender, was indicted on one count of possession of child pornography. 

According to the charging documents the defendant allegedly possessed child pornography involving a minor under the age of 12.

The charge of possession of child pornography provides for at least 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Zacks of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A Bridgewater, Mass. woman was sentenced on Jan. 16, 2026 in federal court in Worcester for providing a controlled substance in the form of a synthetic cannabinoid, also known as “K2,” to an inmate at the federal prison FMC Devens. The inmate was granted clemency on Jan. 17, 2025, reducing his 2022 federal prison sentence for drug distribution.

Tasha Hammock, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to three years of probation. The government recommended a sentence of 12 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In November 2025, Hammock pleaded guilty to providing contraband to a federal prison inmate, Raymond Gaines. In March 2025, Hammock and Gaines were charged by criminal complaint. Gaines, an inmate at FMC Devens, was indicted by a federal grand jury with possessing contraband by a prison inmate.

In February 2022, Gaines was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court in Boston to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. At the time Gaines committed the alleged offenses charged, he was on federal supervised release after serving a prison sentence resulting from a 2017 conviction for distributing cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a school. In both prior cases Gaines was alleged to be an associate of the Orchard Park Trailblazers, a street gang in Boston.

On Jan. 17, 2025, Gaines received an Executive Grant of Clemency, reducing his federal sentence to five years in prison.  

Hammock admitted that on Aug. 18, 2024, while visiting Gaines in prison, she surreptitiously passed K2-laced papers to Gaines, which he allegedly pocketed. At the time, Hammock was employed with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. 
 

As described in court documents, K2 presents a health problem at FMC Devens, where inmates have become sick from smoking paper believed to contain K2, as well as prison staff who have been exposed to the secondary smoke.    

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston; and Ryan Geach, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Regional Office of DOJ-OIG, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Special Investigative Services Unit at FMC Devens. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.  
 

BOSTON – A Cambridge man has been arrested on state charges and a federal complaint has issued, charging him with forcing a woman to engage in commercial sex throughout multiple states including Massachusetts, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maine. 

Daniel Rodriguez, 36, is charged with one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion. Rodriguez is currently held in state custody and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging document Rodriguez allegedly forced a 27-year-old female to engage in commercial sex throughout Massachusetts as well as in Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maine. The charging document also alleges that Rodriguez has trafficked multiple women, including one minor, from 2017 until 2026.

It is alleged that Rodriguez began trafficking the victim in 2025. When the victim attempted to leave Rodriguez in early January 2026, Rodriguez allegedly posed as a sex buyer in an attempt to locate her and then required her to return to Boston with him. On Jan. 13, 2026, Rodriguez was allegedly transporting the victim from one hotel to another to engage in commercial sex. After allegedly committing a traffic violation, Rodriguez’s car was stopped by law enforcement. It is alleged that as law enforcement approached the vehicle, Rodriguez sped away. He yelled at the victim, blaming her for the traffic stop and led police on a high-speed pursuit, travelling at over 100 mph. Rodriguez crashed the vehicle and fled on foot, leaving his victim behind and injured. Rodriguez is alleged to have sent an accomplice to pick the victim up from the hospital and advertised her for commercial sex within hours of her hospital discharge. Rodriguez was ultimately arrested in Middleboro, Mass. on a state arrest warrant issued out of the Quincy District Court on Jan. 14, 2026.

The federal complaint alleges that Rodriguez trafficked at least three other women, one of them a minor, in 2017, 2018, and 2023. Rodriguez is alleged to have used violence and threats and made good on his promises to track his victims down if they attempted to leave him.    

The charge of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion carries with it a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks Special Agent in Charge of Federal Bureau of Investigations; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Riley and Craig Estes of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit are prosecuting the case.

If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please contact [email protected].

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
 

BOSTON – A Worcester man pleaded guilty today in federal court to being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition.

Gilbert Morin, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for April 23, 2026. In September 2025, Morin was indicted by a federal grand jury.

On May 30, 2025, police responded to a report of a man with a firearm outside of a downtown nightclub. Upon not finding the individual at the scene, officers drove a short distance away and observed a man appearing to be concealing an item in his hand. When police attempted to stop the individual, later idented as Morin, he led police on a foot chase through the Worcester Common behind City Hall. Upon being apprehended, Morin was found to have possessed a Taurus pistol, loaded with ammunition. Morin was previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison. Morin was arrested and charged in state court on May 30, 2025 and has remained in custody since.

The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Feld Division; and Paul Saucier, Chief of the Worcester Police Department made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Boston Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
 

BOSTON – A former Barnstable County employee pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to embezzling from a labor union.

Kenneth Mattoon, 67, of West Yarmouth, pleaded guilty to embezzlement of labor union assets. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for April 15, 2026.

Between May 2020 and May 2025, Mattoon embezzled funds from the Barnstable Massachusetts Department of Public Works Employees Local Number 3003 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO.  Mattoon was an officer of the labor union at the time.

The charge of embezzlement from a labor union provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Chief Jean Challis, Barnstable Police Department made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A South Boston man pleaded guilty in federal court in Springfield to participating in a scheme that defrauded a 75-year-old man from Berkshire County, Mass. of approximately $500,000.

Urvishkumar Vipulkumar Patel, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Feb. 13, 2026. Patel was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on Oct. 7, 2024 and indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024.

In early 2024, an elderly Berkshire County resident received a pop-up message on his computer claiming that his computer was frozen and directing him to call the number provided on the computer screen, purportedly associated with Microsoft. The victim’s call was routed to an individual who identified himself as a federal law enforcement officer with the U.S. Treasury Department and referred to himself “Sam Wilson.” Wilson told the victim that he was involved in a money laundering scheme and instructed the victim to take out the cash from his bank accounts and send the money to the Treasury Department for safekeeping. Wilson directed the victim to place the cash in a taped box with the victim’s own name and address written on it. Wilson then sent couriers to the victim’s home to collect the boxes of cash. Prior to each collection, Wilson had the victim describe the clothes he would be wearing and provided the victim with a “PIN” passcode the couriers were to recite upon pickup.

On or about Oct. 7, 2024, Patel drove from South Boston to North Adams, Mass., for the purpose of retrieving cash from the victim. On that date, Patel spoke with an individual he believed to be the victim and provided the prearranged passcode, before taking possession of the box of cash and driving away. Patel was immediately apprehended.

The investigation remains ongoing. Members of the public who believe they are victims of a cybercrime – including elder fraud scams, cryptocurrency scams, romance scams, investment scams and business email compromise fraud scams – should contact [email protected]. To report elder fraud, please visit the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center or contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833–FRAUD–11 (833–372–8311) Monday - Friday, 10am - 6pm EST.

The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the North Adams Police Department and the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin Brown and Dan Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office are prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – An Oregon man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly cyberstalking and making interstate threats against a Massachusetts state prosecutor. According to court records, defendant has history of making death threats.

Lewis Floyd, 40, was indicted for cyberstalking and threatening interstate communications. Floyd will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date. Floyd was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in December 2025. 

According to court documents, Floyd has been convicted in state court multiple times of making death threats, including most recently in Bristol County Superior Court for allegedly making repeated threats to kill and maim personnel at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Bristol County, Massachusetts. After his release from state prison, it is alleged that Floyd continued to make death threats against a Massachusetts state prosecutor and their family.  

The charge of cyberstalking as a repeat offender provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Fall River Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric L. Hawkins of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
 

BOSTON – A Leominster man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to a scheme to steal $1,355,863 by depositing a forged tax refund check and then laundering the money using cashier’s checks payable to shell companies.

Jesse El-Ghoul, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government funds, one count of bank fraud and four counts of money laundering. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for April 16, 2026. El-Ghoul was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on June 6, 2025, and was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2025.

El-Ghoul owned and operated Affordable Motor Group in Leominster, Mass. and owed back taxes for the business. On March 29, 2024, El-Ghoul deposited a tax refund check for $1,344,863, payable to Affordable Motor Group into his business bank account. The check had been issued by the U.S. Treasury to a Canadian company, based on its 2021 tax return, and the check had been forged and altered to be payable to El-Ghoul’s company.

In the days after depositing the check, El-Ghoul returned to the bank and bought cashier’s checks for $235,280, $223,591, $202,643 and $425,000 payable to shell companies and to a law firm in connection with a third-party real estate transaction in eastern Massachusetts.

The charge of theft of government funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charges of money laundering each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the amount of money involved in the laundering transactions, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Michael Carpenter, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, OIG; and Nicholas Bucciarelli , Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Kosto, Chief of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – A Rigby, Idaho man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to cyberstalking a Massachusetts professor over the course of five months.

Edward John Kay, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of cyberstalking before U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick who scheduled sentencing for April 17, 2026. In July 2025, Kay was arrested and charged by criminal complaint.

Kay met the victim in January 2025 when he enrolled in the victim’s online course, which the victim taught at a university’s extension school. After one Zoom meeting with the victim and one virtual class session, Kay became fixated on the victim, dropped the course, and proceeded to harass and intimidate the victim over email and LinkedIn for five months.

• Between January and June of 2025, Kay sent the victim over 80 harassing communications via LinkedIn and email – including at least one anonymous email account. In the communications, Kay expressed his adoration and love for the victim and mentioned the victim’s minor child by name. The communications included: 
• A LinkedIn message, in which Kay stated: “I miss you-truly, deeply- with all of my heart and soul. That day I saw you on Zoom…You were the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Not just appearance. Everything. Your presence. Your mind. Your light. To gain you…and then to lose you like that? It devastated me;”
• An email sent to several of the university’s offices with the victim copied, in which Kay stated: “Dr. [victim’s last name] has been copied on all communications. She knows what is coming.” He added that this was only the “VERY BEGINNING” because “Every day, starting today, will mark a **new action of serious consequence**, taken by me in accordance with divine alignment and institutional justice;” and
• An anonymous email sent to the victim from the email address [victim’s name][email protected], in which Kay professed his love for the victim, encouraged the victim to leave the university and stated, “You are still free. But you are not unreachable.”

In addition, Kay told another university professor about his obsession with the victim and his desire to separate the victim from her husband.

The charge of cyberstalking provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by FBI Salt Lake City and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
 

BOSTON – The Harvard Club of Boston, a private club that is not formally affiliated with Harvard University, has agreed to pay approximately $2.4 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was not eligible.

Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and the Economic Security Act (CARES Act) on March 29, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain approved expenses through the PPP. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has longstanding guidance identifying businesses that are ineligible for loan programs including “private clubs and businesses which limit the number of memberships for reasons other than capacity” and “restrict patronage for any reason other than capacity.” SBA’s guidance also made clear that this restriction applied specifically to eligibility for PPP loans.  

As detailed in the settlement agreement, The Harvard Club of Boston admits that, on May 4, 2021, it applied for and certified its eligibility for a first draw PPP loan. The Harvard Club of Boston later sought and received forgiveness from SBA of the full amount of its loan. At the time of its application, The Harvard Club of Boston operated as a private membership club that restricted membership to applicants who fit certain eligibility criteria, and therefore, it was ineligible for loans under the PPP program.

The settlement credits The Harvard Club of Boston for cooperation under the Department of Justice’s Guidelines for Taking Voluntary Disclosure, Cooperation and Remediation into Account in False Claims Act Matters.

The claims resolved in today’s settlement include claims that were brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act.  Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. As part of today’s resolution, Mr. Foster will receive approximately $247,219. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Foster. v. Harvard Club of Boston, No. 25-cv-11530 (D. Mass. 2025).

U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and Wendell Davis, General Counsel for the Small Businesses Administration made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Ross of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the case.

BOSTON – A Roxbury man was convicted yesterday in federal court in Boston for engaging in a scheme to cause the Massachusetts RMV to issue a Commercial Learners’ Permit (“CLP”) to an individual by providing that individual with the answers to CLP exam questions. In the state of Massachusetts, you must have a commercial learner’s permit before obtaining a commercial driver’s license.

Frank Castro, 52, was convicted of unlawful production of identification document. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for May 7, 2026. Castro was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024.

On or about Oct. 18, 2021, Castro told an undercover agent that he could help him obtain a CLP in Massachusetts for $3,000. On or about Dec. 10, 2021, Castro explained to the undercover agent that the agent would need to sneak a Bluetooth device into the testing area at the RMV, surreptitiously place the device into his ear, then cover it with headphones used during the exam. Castro explained that he would be connected with the undercover agent via the Bluetooth device such that Castro could hear the audio questions and provide the undercover agent with the correct answers.

On or about Dec. 22, 2021, the undercover agent deposited $3,000 into Castro’s bank account before proceeding to the Danvers RMV to take the CLP exam. The undercover agent connected with Castro using the Bluetooth device and Castro provided the exam answers to the undercover agent in real time during the exam. The undercover agent passed the exam with Castro’s unlawful assistance and received a Massachusetts CLP.

The charge of unlawful production of an identification document provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Brian C. Gallagher, Special Agent in Charge, Northeastern Region, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Maynard and David G. Tobin of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Yonkers, N.Y. man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for a scheme to steal an $810,000 tax refund by impersonating a corporate executive in Connecticut.

Steven Ware, 64, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to 40 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Ware was also ordered to pay $322,436.28 in restitution. In July 2025, Ware pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Ware was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in September 2024 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2024.

In December 2023, Ware opened bank accounts in the name of a Connecticut investment company and one of its executives at a credit union in Tyngsborough, Mass. When opening the account, Ware identified himself as the executive – using the executive’s full name, date of birth, Social Security number and other documents.

Shortly after opening the account, Ware returned to the credit union pretending to be the executive and deposited a United States Treasury check payable to the company and the executive for $810,337.

Once the check cleared, a debit card was used to withdraw money from the account to buy goods at various retailers in New York, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Ware returned to the Tyngsborough credit union several times over the following days and weeks pretending to be the executive and wired more than $634,000 of the stolen funds.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; and Michael Carpenter, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, OIG made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Tyngsborough Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Kosto, Chief of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.